Sunshine & Storm in Rhodesia - F. C. Selous

Condition: Good. DJ is good apart from some handling marks. Book is clean and tight.
Format: Hardcover with DJ
Published: 1968 (Books of Africa)
Pages: 290
ISBN:

Selous admits to having been influenced in his choice of career by William Charles Baldwins book African Hunting from Natal to the Zambesi which was published in 1864. After a short stay on the Kimberley diamond diggings he moved north to Matabeleland and by the time he was 25 he had the reputation of being the most daring and successful ivory hunter in Africa. For nearly 20 years he explored, hunted and traded over the country between the Limpopo River and the Congo basin, providing the inspiration for Rider Haggards Allan Quatermain.

He was a keen naturalist and an ardent collector, with a particular interest in butterflies. In later life he extended his collection of specimens of animals, birds and birds eggs to many other countries. In 1881 his first book, A Hunters Wanderings in Africa, was published. A classic on hunting, it contains accounts of his explorations beyond the Zambesi, on the Chobe River, and in Matabeleland and Mashonaland, with full notes on the natural history and distribution of all the large mammalia.

Over a 26-year period he produced six major works and many lesser papers for the Journals of the Royal Geographical Society of which he was a Gold Medallist. With his wide knowledge of south-east Africa and his good stand-ing with the African chiefs, Selous was an obvious choice when Rhodes was looking for a guide to lead the Pioneer Column in Mashonaland in 1890. He was given the responsibility of cutting a wagon route from Macloutsie.

He fought in the Matabele war and was involved in the 1896 Matabele rebellion. His experiences in this latter conflict is the main topic of this book.